California inmate indicted on first-degree murder in 1996 killings of two Nashville women

Created 02/21/2013 - 7:09pm

Metro investigators have indicted a 37-year-old man currently imprisoned in California in the brutal stabbing deaths of two young women on Feb. 22, 1996.

Nearly 17 years to that day, Patrick Lamonte Streater faces an indictment on two counts of premeditated first-degree murder in the killings of Melissa Dawn Chilton and Tiffany Campbell, both 18, at the now defunct Exotic Tan for Men at 1805 Church Street.

Streater is currently serving a prison sentence on robbery charges in a California State Prison. Davidson County District Attorney General Torry Johnson said he believes Streater has about two years left to serve in California and that his office has already “placed a hold” on Streater to pursue the charges against him in Nashville when he’s released.

Melissa’s mother Gail Chilton, who at times criticized detectives for not doing enough in the investigation, said she was speechless following the indictment.

“I can’t express the thanks that I feel,” Gail Chilton said during a press conference announcing the indictment.

She added, “This isn’t just about Melissa and Tiffany, they’ve taken a killer off the streets to prevent future homicides.”

Though investigators kept mum on the details of the case, they offered that Streater is the former boyfriend of Campbell’s and that investigators had spoken with him several times in recent years, the latest being earlier this week when storied Metro homicide detective Pat Postiglione, set to retire next week, told Streater he would face indictment in Nashville.

Metro police say the indictment of Streater makes 55 murder cases that have led to charges by the Cold Case Unit since 2005.

On receiving the phone call informing her that Streater would be charged in her daughter’s killing, Gail Chilton said, “There has been a calmness that came with this [news]. When I hung up the phone I just felt calm. I guess you could call it closure, but it’s just peace in my heart to know there is a killer off the streets.”

Streater and prosecutors now both must wait for his day in court, the timeframe for which has not been determined.